Is the role of the fire and rescue services going to become less ‘glamorous’ now that it will have a greater role in fire safety engineering? Emphatically no, says London Fire Commissioner Ken Knight.
Many in the fire and rescue service might question the concept that there are never any exciting times in fire safety engineering and enforcement. This function has traditionally lived in the shadows of fire and rescue service roles, which appear more glamorous or that have achieved a higher profile. Community fire safety work directed at the homes where most of the fire deaths and injuries occur is now central to the aims of a modern fire and rescue service. The response arm of the fire and rescue service with its developments of modern equipment and the constant need to meet new threats to the public’s safety is obviously a fascinating and exciting area.
Nevertheless, the work of statutory fire safety over many years has been central to the protection of the public – improving and maintaining the standards of fire safety management in public buildings and workplaces. This service is taken for granted by the public and rarely commented upon unless there is a perceived problem. In most cases, the advice given is accepted and acted upon by those responsible for fire safety in buildings, and the need to resort to our powers of prohibition or restriction of use is not commonplace. Taking enforcement action in the courts is even less frequent.
The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 made promoting fire safety in its area the first core duty of a fire and rescue authority. This was perhaps widely read by many as simply a duty to promote community fire safety in the home. In fact, the Act is much wider than that and requires the provision of information, publicity and encouragement in respect of steps to be taken to prevent fires and death or injury by fire. This duty is more much proactive than the former requirement to give advice, upon request, that was contained in the Fire Services Act 1947.
The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) has long recognised that statutory fire safety makes a positive contribution to protecting the public. The London Safety Plans that describe the way in which we reduce the risk to the community in London have included actions to ensure the powers available to us are used to the greatest effect.
The Capital is home to a number of major fire safety engineering projects, some completed and many in the advanced stages of construction or planning. By having a positive and close working relationship with the developers, the standards of fire safety are improved while the needs of clients are understood and supported. Examples of close partnership working in fire safety engineering include Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, Wembley Stadium and planned improvements to step-free access for many of London Underground’s stations.
In each case, these high-profile developments have been supported by fire safety engineering staff. Future projects will include the sporting and other facilities for the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012, and the Thames Gateway project where we hope to build in a fire safety legacy for a large area of London.
This approach ensures that fire safety is engineered in at the earliest stage, and the project is supported through construction and fit-out stages, with the essential pre-planning for dealing with operational incidents integrated in the development. Our experience tells us that developers benefit from our close involvement, and I am confident that the safety of those who will use the facilities will also be enhanced. But this is only half of the picture. In a city like London we can’t ignore the impact of significant emergency incidents at these places – in terms of loss of property, disruption of economic and public activities, loss of vital public facilities, loss of priceless heritage or damage to the environment.
We see our role in providing information, publicity and encouragement to prevent fires as an essential part of a modern fire and rescue service. This positive and proactive approach is shaping the way in which London discharges its duty to enforce the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Clearly, the recent slippage in the timetable for these reforms has given even more time for preparation, but plans for the introduction of a completely risk-based approach to statutory fire safety are well advanced, with new information technology systems and organisational arrangements being implemented. We also plan to ensure we effectively communicate with the public about the changes to fire safety law, as part of our commitment to publicity and encouragement.
Finally, our commitment to developing our people is central to delivering an effective service. London Fire Brigade has a number of fire safety engineers with externally recognised qualifications who practice at the very highest level. We aim to extend the principle of external recognition for all fire safety staff, so that their competency can be as easily recognised by those outside the service as it is within.
There are some commentators who see the forthcoming Fire Safety Order as a threat to the effective enforcement of standards of fire safety in public buildings and workplaces. I do not share their gloomy prognosis; we aim to take the positive, proactive approach that the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 envisages. To some, exciting times may be something of an exaggeration, but I am sure my colleagues working in fire safety at London Fire Brigade will recognise that we are certainly in interesting and challenging times, and we are committed to improving further the service we give to the public.
